Scientists discover how the egg catches the sperm

SEPTEMBER 2011 — Researchers have discovered a molecule present on the outer surface of a human egg that binds sperm and eggs together before fertilisation. Understanding this mechanism may help people with previously unexplained fertility problems.

'The details we've discovered here fill in a huge gap in our knowledge of fertility and we hope they will ultimately help many of those people who currently cannot conceive', said Professor Anne Dell of Imperial College London, who was involved in the study.